Geodata Requirements for Mapping Protective Functions and Effects of Forests

Abstract

Mapping of protective functions and effects of forests is subject to geodata on 1) natural hazard susceptibilities (hazard potential), 2) assets to be protected (damage potential), and 3) forest conditions, that is, forest use (legal extent) and cover (structure). Objectives in terms of legal definitions of assets and levels of risk acceptance (protection targets) as well as on the necessary and guaranteed reliability of the map products determine the mapping scale and the requirements for the methods and input data to be used. However, applied definitions of protection targets are often missing in the legislative bases and mapping approaches must rather be adapted to the existing geodata, their conceptual data model and quality, than simply using existing methods. Agreeing on the assets to be protected and the quality of their digital representation in terms of spatial resolution, positional accuracy, currentness, topological consistency, and entities is crucial for mapping object protective forests. The reliability of assessing protective effects of forests for large areas based on information acquired with remote sensing techniques depends on the temporal match, spatial and spectral resolutions, and limitations in representing current forest conditions by spectral and elevation data.